Extemporaneous
by RenaShepard
Summary: The Citadel Dance Academy was the West Point of Dance Schools. Only twenty students graduated each year, and spots in premier dance companies were handed out almost at the same time as diplomas. Kaidan had known it was his dream school ever since he first donned a pair of dance shoes. /Written for Shenko AU Week 2014/
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I have absolutely no actual dance experience. I just really admire dancers, so I apologize for any mistakes made. I have links to all dances used for choreography inspiration, if anyone's curious.

The Citadel was the West Point of Dance Schools. Only twenty students graduated each year, and spots in premier dance companies were handed out almost at the same time as diplomas. Graduates of the Citadel had guaranteed futures, which was a rare thing in a performing arts career. Kaidan Alenko had known that the Citadel was his dream school ever since he had first donned a pair of dance shoes.

He'd been four years old, watching a ballet on television. He'd thought it was beautiful, and tried to imitate the dancers, nearly breaking a dozen bones in the process. His parents enrolled him in classes after he broke a lamp trying to pirouette, telling him that they would gladly pay for dance classes in exchange for him promising not to break anything else. Kaidan took the agreement to heart, and learned to control exactly where his limbs were at all times. By the time he was a good enough dancer to enter competitions, Kaidan was meticulous about control, and his form was nearly perfect as a result. The only critique he still received on a regular basis was that he needed to "feel" the music more, and let his emotions guide his movements. But Kaidan knew that if he did that , then he would get sloppy, and in his opinion, a clean performance was always better than a sloppy one.

His 'emotionless' performances got him far enough to be invited to the competition portion of the Citadel application. He had passed the initial audition, interview, and academic criteria. All he needed to do now was attend a six-week course held on campus, judged by Citadel teachers, and handle himself well enough to make the final cuts. There were twenty spots in the freshman class, and forty-two applicants.

The first two weeks were made up of solo freestyles of differing moods, tests to make sure the dancers were well-rounded. Dancers who had only taken Tap had to find a way to dance Modern, and Jazz dancers had to learn Hip-Hop in a day. Luckily, Kaidan knew enough of most genres to have no problems, given he stuck to the Hip-Hop wasn't too difficult, as he could fake emotion with the heavy beats and exaggerated movements. He was most excited for the last dance, though.

The Citadel was famed as a classical ballet school, first and foremost, so the last dance before initial cuts was a ballet. That was the day when everyone was the most on edge. The dances were public, and each dancer was given a critique after their dance, so most students watched and took the opportunity to learn from the other dancer's mistakes. Kaidan took notes.

Tali Zorah- Exotic looking girl with free movement. Would be good at theater pieces, but lacks refinement and experience.

Garrus Vakarian- Strong, but rigid dancer. Needs to loosen up. Might be nerves.

Ashley Williams- Tough and fiery, moves a bit erratically, but has power.

Kaidan also meticulously checked his watch, getting up an hour before his scheduled dance time in order to warm up. He already had on his dance clothes on under his sweatpants, but he needed to stretch for at least a half hour to be limber enough to show off his skills. The time was also useful for getting in the right mindset.

He was in the middle of a particularly important hamstring stretch when he heard a voice pierce through his focusing playlist. Kaidan yanked out one ear bud to hear the question repeated.

"Alenko, right?" Kaidan nodded, but didn't open his eyes, mouthing his remaining stretch count as if to stress that he was busy. Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen…

"You were at the Arcturus dance competition, right? Four years ago?" Kaidan opened his eyes, wondering who would bother to interrupt him. He usually didn't make friends with other dancers, because there really wasn't much space for friendship in the competitive atmosphere. He didn't know who to expect, but he was especially shocked to see a face that was almost a legend among dancers his age.

"Shepard?"

The woman chuckled, moving into a lunge. She was warming up as well.

"Yeah. Arcturus?" Kaidan nodded, that particular competition one of the more memorable ones in his career. He had gotten the highest technical score of the day, a quarter point shy of his personal best, but he still hadn't had the highest scoring dance. That had gone to Shepard, and the points she earned from that dance were enough to earn her the title of 'Spectre', a designation for lifetime achievement at national ballet competitions that was only earned by a handful of dancers every generation. Her lifetime point tally was as high as some professional dancers', and at age 15, she was the youngest to ever receive the award. It skyrocketed her into fame well outside of the dance sphere. She'd even made it onto a few national morning news shows, where she became a spokesperson for the entire dance community. But she'd disappeared after that, and no one had seen her at a dance function since.

"I didn't know you would be here." Kaidan was struck had been many rumors concerning Shepard's whereabouts the past few years, but the most common one was that the Citadel had recruited her early. That was unheard of, and obviously untrue, if she was preparing to dance an audition for them now. She looked at him oddly, and he realized that he must have seemed a bit _too_ surprised to find her here. He didn't want to insult her; he'd have to find an excuse for his awkwardness. He faintly remembered that she had been in the next age category up at Arcturus, which would have put her into last year's freshman class. "I uh- I thought you were nineteen." Kaidan felt his face flush as his hurried half-explanation fell on his own ears.

"Missed last year's class by three days. The Citadel's pretty strict about age requirements." Shepard replied, going back to her stretch. She didn't seem offended, and Kaidan felt as if he'd dodged a bullet. Making enemies with one of the most talented dancers would definitely not help his chances of making it in the dance world.

"But I'm here now." Shepard popped up out of her stretch fast enough to make Kaidan's joints hurt, and flashed him a grin. "Thought you'd end up here too, your form is impeccable." Her eyes danced around his figure, following his stretch, and Kaidan felt his face flush. She seemed far from offended, perhaps the exact opposite. _Was she flirting with him?_

Shepard rolled her shoulders and popped onto her toes, her leg muscles bulging through her tights. She glanced out onto the stage, where the lights flashed to indicate the next dancer's turn. "My time to shine. See you up next, Alenko."

She lept off of her pointe and towards the stage, leaving him with his mouth agape. He had remembered her being a natural, but she was so calm, it was almost scary. Most of the other dancers backstage were showing their nerves through varying shades of white faces and nervous fiddling. Kaidan stood and made his way into the wings to watch Shepard, knowing that her critiques could be the most enlightening of the day.

Her music started, but Shepard stayed completely still, on the edge of the stage. When she began to walk forward, it was slow, and her feet were far ahead of her body. She moved to the center of the stage in a way that was both graceful and awkward, as if she didn't quite understand how her limbs moved. She looked like a newborn horse, trying to discover how to move on long legs, and not yet knowing their strength. Slowly, her movement became more controlled. She went through a series of turns and lifts, showcasing the grace of long limbs that had looked so awkward at the beginning of her dance. At one point, she lifted a foot and held it in the air, her knee bent at a ninety degree angle. She flexed her foot up and down, toes curling, before setting it down and dragging it along the floor as her entire body turned. Then she was off again, leaping out of the odd movement in a way that was dizzying. Kaidan wondered how she didn't fall.

She moved beautifully, there was no doubt about that, but something was odd about her dance. She wasn't en pointe, like so many of the other dancers had been, and Kaidan knew she was capable of dancing completely en pointe. Shepard also didn't have some of the more advanced ballet moves in her dance, instead swapping them out for ones that looked like they belonged in a modern dance. Kaidan could only watch, wondering what she would do next.

She was in the middle of a pirouette that transformed into a pump turn, her leg flung out viciously to keep her body upright. Then, in the time it took Kaidan to blink, she was down. Her right leg had fallen under her. Kaidan was shocked, until she rolled out of it with all the grace of a cat, and he knew that the fall had only been part of her dance. An unexpected part of the dance, as classical ballet almost never called for floorwork. It slowly dawned on Kaidan that Shepard wasn't dancing classical ballet at all. She was dancing contemporary ballet. Contemporary ballet was a mixture of the high control of classical ballet and the freedom of movement allowed in contemporary dances, and it was rare to see in a formal dance setting. And Shepard, a _Spectre_ , was dancing _contemporary ballet_ in an audition for the _Citadel_.

She was good, though. Mind-bogglingly good. She moved, and Kaidan felt a strange pull, as if he should join her. Her dancing called to him, and he felt himself growing emotional. Her body sang of a perfect mesh of strength and beauty; she was a weapon that could kill with an expertly executed turn or leap. She moved, and Kaidan could hear her body speak to his soul. Is this what his dances were missing? He watched Shepard more closely, hoping to somehow figure out how she could make him feel so many things just y moving her body.

She stopped suddenly, her torso collapsing forward, and she curled inward. She was done.

"Thank you." The Head Judge said, somehow managing to use the same voice he had with every other dancer. Kaidan didn't know if the judges would be awed by Shepard's dance, or appalled at her choice of genre, but he wished he had his notebook with him so he could write down their comments.

"Miss Shepard, you dance with a great deal of emotion, and you are very comfortable performing. You could dance with more control, as when you let yourself get too into the mood of the dance, your focus slips, and there are some technical issues. If you could find a balance between emotion and control, you could be one of the best dancers this establishment has ever seen." The judge paused, looking up from his pad of paper. "Your choice to dance contemporary was an interesting one, especially considering your Spectre designation. May I ask, why did you choose to dance in that particular style?"

Shepard smiled, as if she had wanted the judge to ask that exact question. "For the past few years I have been touring the globe, watching as many different dance companies has possible. I discovered contemporary ballet on accident, and fell in love with it. I had always enjoyed classical ballet, but when I discovered the mix between finesse and power that contemporary ballet had, I knew that it was what I really should have been dancing my entire life."

The judge nodded, and Shepard left the stage with a small bow. Kaidan hadn't noticed that the rest of the dancers backstage had crowded around the wings until they skittered away, not wanting to be caught staring. Kaidan stayed where he was, partially because he was the next dancer on board, and partially because he wanted to watch the judges' faces to see if they gave away any more thoughts about Shepard's dance.

Shepard flew into the wings, her face flushed from her dance, and her eyes glittering. She glanced to Kaidan, her mouth open in a beaming grin. "Break a leg, Alenko." Kaidan nodded, wanting to say something about her dance, and how it made him want to leap onto the stage and follow her anywhere she wanted to take him, but she was gone before the words would come.

Kaidan shook, both to loosen his limbs, and to clear his mind. He had to get back into his zone. Watching Shepard had distracted him, and if there was one thing he knew about dancing, it was that distractions would ruin you.

He was ruined. He hadn't extended as far as he knew he could on his leg lifts, and he had felt his muscles wobble towards the end of his dance. That hadn't happened in years, at least since that time he'd nearly passed out on stage because he hadn't eaten. He was so embarrassed, he almost didn't hear the judges' critiques, but he just barely caught them around the rushing in his ears.

It boiled down to the same critiques he'd gotten since he was a child: good form, not enough emotion. Kaidan had hoped to get a critique that he could actually use. Something like 'point your toes more' or 'tighten your core when you leap', but the judges had instead focused on his apparent 'lack of emotion'. Kaidan made his way backstage and started stretching again, breathing deeply to cool himself down. He'd just have to concentrate more, make sure that nothing distracted him again. He'd be more careful, as long as he made it through the first round of cuts. He cursed mentally, furious that he'd blown his best dance, especially since he didn't have another to make up for it. He was absolutely ruined.


	2. Chapter 2

Kaidan sat against the wall, waiting for the judges to post the cut list. About a dozen of the dancers would be cut in the first round, which seemed a bit steep considering the caliber of dancer it took to even make it this far. Twelve of forty-two would go home today, leaving thirty to worry. That was when it got tricky. Rumor was, cuts could come at any time after the first round. You could be stretching to prepare for a dance, and a judge could tap you on the shoulder and ask you to leave.

Kaidan would rather be cut first. It would destroy him to get so close, only to be cut individually because of some stupid mistake.

Of course, he really didn't want to be cut at all. If he didn't make it into this school, there were others, but he had already made the deal with himself that he would pursue another career if he didn't make it into the Citadel. The dance world was too competitive and too unstable. There were hardly any jobs out there, unless you were a Citadel alumni. It was all or nothing.

Kaidan leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes, wondering if he could guess who would be cut. It was habit from competitions of years past, and a good learning tool to try and guess what the judges' thoughts were.

There were some cuts that were obvious, dancers who had been too nervous and made awful mistakes, but once those few were accounted for, it got a bit would come down to the judges' preferences. Would they prefer a strong ballet dancer with a weakness for Hip Hop, or a dancer who was less inspired, but well-rounded? It was a guessing game, and the only person that Kaidan could think of as perfectly safe was Shepard. She'd been good in every genre, and her ballet, while different, was magnificent.

"Hey camper."

Kaidan opened his eyes. _Speak of the devil._ Shepard was sliding down the wall beside him, knees tucked into her chest.

"Wouldn't have pegged you for one, you know. Sitting right by the door, waiting so you can jump up when they post the results." She grinned, tongue caught in between her back teeth, as if she had been chewing on it. "Your poker face must be fantastic."

Kaidan looked at her for a moment, not sure what to say. Shepard stayed quiet, fingers drumming along the tops of her knees. A door closed shut, and her head snapped up, dislodging a piece of hair from her careful bun. Kaidan looked over to see that the door had just been another dancer coming back from the bathroom, not the judges returning from deliberation. He turned back to Shepard to see her looking down again, the flyaway hair tucked behind her ear.

"Are you nervous?" Kaidan asked, unable to mask the surprise in his voice.

She laughed, but it wasn't the same jovial chuckle she'd given earlier. This one was weak. "Yeah… Aren't you?"

"Of course I am, but it's not like you have any reason to be nervous, Shepard. You're the only guarantee." Kaidan said, wondering how she could be nervous at all. Surely she knew that she was a step above every other dancer here, the way she moved.

Shepard looked up at him. "That's sweet of you to say, but all of those judges have seen me dance before. They know what I looked like years ago, before my 'vacation'." She said the last word with a hint of venom in her voice, and Kaidan wondered how many times she had heard people mock her for deciding to travel and study technique at some of the best dance companies around the world.

"And judging by their critique, they don't see any kind of improvement," Shepard continued, "I'll be cut because I won't be deemed as dedicated as the others." Her voice lost the venom, and a smile tugged at the corner of her cheek. "But you're safe, I'd bet. Ol' Hackett's eyes lit up when he saw your adagio."

Kaidan chuckled. Hackett always had loved the slow, methodical movements. He loved picking every minuscule movement apart. "That may be so, but if old critiques are the basis for cuts, then I better go pack my bags. I've been hearing 'good form, no emotion' since I was twelve."

Shepard laughed. "I'll give you some of my emotion if you'll give me your toes. Always so pointed, you'd think you always walk en pointe, mine always cramp up mid-dance."

"But you move-" Before Kaidan could finish his compliment, Shepard was gone. Kaidan turned to see where she was heading, and saw that the wooden double doors were open and a man in a suit was posting a piece of paper to the wall. Kaidan scrambled after Shepard, but got caught up in some of the other dancers who had noticed the commotion. He tried to move around them, but only managed to get stuck behind even more people, the area around the paper now crowded. Kaidan was stuck behind a pair of blondes who looked like twins when he heard the first cry.

He couldn't tell if it was a cry of relief, or a cry of agony, but it caused the other dancers to all lurch forward, now even hungrier for the knowledge of who had made cuts. Kaidan caught sight of Shepard near the front of the pack. The few other dancers near her gave her a few inches of space, her reputation a helpful deterrent from any jostling, their necks still craned to read around her. Shepard placed her pointer finger on the bottom of the list of lucky dancers and moved up. Kaidan didn't know if the list was alphabetized and she was being quick, or if it was in the order of choosing and she didn't want to appear arrogant. Either way, her finger trailed up the names. It passed where the S's would logically be, and stopped near the top of the list. Her other pointer finger moved up to meet the first, and then continued for a few more spaces before stopping. She stepped out of the way then, her space immediately being taken up by a wave of anxious dancers.

Kaidan decided to let the throng go at it first. He wasn't about to fight through the crowd, and he'd like to not have anyone around when he read the list. It was one of the reasons he was a 'camper', as Shepard put it. If he was going to be disappointed, he'd like a few seconds of privacy to hide it, either right before the crowd arrived, or right after it dispersed. The pack of dancers slowly dwindled away, some people grinning, and some fighting tears. Kaidan caught himself counting the criers, and had to stop himself. All of these people had hopes and dreams just like he did. It would be cruel to reduce them to numbers just to steady his own nerves.

When there were only a handful of dancers left, Kaidan moved towards the paper on the wall. He got close enough to see the Citadel's seal at the top, and the tall lettering that made up the heading: "Dancers whose names appear on this list advance to the next round of auditions."

Kaidan took a deep breath and began at the top of the list. He found Shepard's name easily, right at the top, about where one of her fingers had stopped. He scanned the next few names, wondering where else she had stopped, when he found his own name. He sucked in a breath and put his hand up to the paper, his fingers ghosting over the print. He'd made the cuts. He only had to last a few more weeks without making a grievous mistake, and he'd have a spot at the Citadel.

"Not so bad for old critiques, huh?" Kaidan could almost hear the smile in Shepard's voice.

Kaidan nodded, still in a breathless stupor. He glanced down the rest of the list out of curiosity. He had guessed most of the names, but some were surprising.

"Did you see this?" Shepard pointed to the bottom of the paper, where there was an extra script.

"Pairs will be posted eight a.m. tomorrow." Kaidan read, frowning slightly. "Pairs?"

"The rest of the auditions are done in pairs. First round cuts are to take out those who aren't strong enough individually, and the rest are generally cut because they can't dance in groups well. They stand out too much, or fall behind. They usually pair up couples who have opposite strengths and weaknesses. They're hoping they'll teach each other things." Shepard explained. Kaidan wondered how she knew so much about the audition process. It wasn't like it was common knowledge. The interview questions were even changed every year to try and stop people from preparing.

"I had a friend who got in a few years ago." Shepard explained, guessing his confusion, "Met up with him a few months ago to ask for tips. Logistics were about all he'd give away. I have no idea how they decide cuts or what they're looking for, but I can tell you what the next test will be."

"What?" Kaidan asked, wondering if she really knew, or if she was bluffing.

"Pairs improv." Shepard said, no hint of a smile on her face.

Kaidan felt weak. "You're kidding."

She hadn't been kidding. Everyone had woken up early and gone down to one of the larger dance rooms, as per the instructions posted in the dorms after dinner. Kaidan was stretching when the judges walked into the room. Four of the five sat down at a table on one side, while the fifth stood in the middle of the room.

"In order to be a member of a dance company, you must be able to dance in a group. To judge your ability to do that, the remainder of the audition process will be done in pairs. Each of you has been assigned a partner that will hopefully help you grow as a performer. All dances, from today on, will be assessing your ability to dance with this partner. You will work together for the remaining four weeks, and you will rely on each other. Cuts from now on will not be individual, but in pairs." He paused as murmurs of shock moved throughout the room. Kaidan felt himself grow angry. He had made it this far on his own, why should someone else hold that much power over his performance? What if he didn't get along with his partner? What if they didn't mesh well? He could miss out on the school of his dreams because of someone else's mistake, a fact which both terrified and infuriated him.

The judge held up a hand to silence the dancers, "When your name is called, you will begin dancing. Any genre is fine, whatever you're comfortable with. Your partner will join you, and you will improvise together. We do not expect a perfect performance, we simply want to see your ability to match another dancer and to come up with choreography together."

Some dancers began mumbling again, louder. The news of pairs cuts and pairs improv sending everyone into a state of anxiety. Kaidan found Shepard across the room, leaning against a wall quietly. She looked calm, but her eyes were darting across the room, looking at each dancer in the room. Her brow furrowed every few moments, and Kaidan wondered if she was already planning how she would dance, depending on her partner. Kaidan had no idea what he would do; improv was never his strong suit. He was just hoping that his partner would be called first, so that he could focus on matching them instead of creating his own choreography.

The first dancer was called, a small girl named Liara. She moved to the middle of the room quickly, and Kaidan could tell she was nervous. She began moving slowly, but her grace was apparent. She danced alone for a while, until another dancer's name was called. Liara paused for a moment, but began dancing again quickly, albeit more reserved in her movements. A tall, dark man began dancing beside her, matching her pirouette, until he lept out of it to move behind Liara. She stumbled a bit, surprised, but regained her balance quickly. The rest of the dance was simple, and they struggled at times. Their differing sizes was an obvious challenge, but they managed.

After a minute, one of the judges thanked them and the two dancers sat along the wall. Another pair was called, and the same kind of awkward dance began again. Kaidan watched as pair after pair danced, some more daring than others, but all less clean than the solo performances had been. That was to be expected, and judging by the lack of paper on the judge's table, they were not being judged too harshly.

Eventually, the number of unpaired dancers dwindled. There were only four now. A young man with whom Kaidan was unfamiliar, sitting far away from others and fighting a green tint to his face, a girl who had been stretching furiously for the past three pairs, himself, and Shepard.

He would be lying if he said that he didn't hope to be paired with her. She was a glorious dancer, and an interesting person. She was personable and easy to talk to, but didn't seem to have many friends. Perhaps that was because of her celebrity status, which she acknowledged but didn't glorify. She was beautiful, both in motion, and standing still, as she was now. The only movement was in her eyes, which followed the pair dancing currently. They glowed with a fierce calculating glare, as if she was judging every movement and thinking about how it could be done better. She would make a hell of a judge one day, once she'd had her fill of dancing herself. When the pair finished, her eyes softened, and she looked around the room, pausing on the two dancers yet to go. She had been paying attention to the pairings too. Her eyes finally landed on Kaidan, and she smiled, nodding her head towards him.

The head judge stood again, calling the name of the green faced boy, who moved jerkily towards the center. Kaidan saw Shepard stiffen slightly, her eyes darting towards the judge. The boy began dancing, but Kaidan only watched the judge. He watched the boy for a moment before glancing down at the paper in his hands. "Miss Daniels."

Shepard relaxed slightly, glancing at Kaidan. She mouthed something he didn't catch, and when he seemed confused, she only shook her head and smiled. She looked to the dancing pair and settled against the wall. Kaidan only watched her, mind running at a blistering pace. They must have been partnered together for a reason. She favored fast and wild dances, while Kaidan was best at slow, controlled moves. She told a story when she danced, and made you feel strange things, while Kaidan had once been told he moved 'like a marionette'. They would either learn from each other and steal techniques, as they had joked about earlier, or they would be uneven and odd. That made Kaidan's pulse speed up. He had been so worried that his partner would be unsatisfactory, he didn't even think of Shepard. Anyone would be unsatisfactory for her. What if he hindered Shepard so much, he got her cut? He didn't think he could ever forgive himself if he caused her to lose her well-deserved spot into the Citadel.

"Thank you, Mister Donnelly, Miss Daniels." The pair walked off, both grinning, and Kaidan wished he had watched them instead of worrying himself. Now he had to dance with his focus muddled.

"Mister Alenko." Kaidan blinked and took a deep breath. He didn't want to improvise ballet, so he'd play to Shepard's strengths and dance contemporary. He closed his eyes and heard a soft piano intro in his head, a slow beat to move to. He started with a lunge down towards his toes in a graceful arch. He came up the and threw a leg out , extending it as far as possible. He heard the judge call Shepard's name, and moved forward into a pirouette to give her time to join the dance. He saw her move forward aggressively, squatting and ducking her head between her legs. She came up with a flourish, her hair falling around her face. Kaidan could only see her smile before she was moving again, prancing behind him. He settled out of his pirouette and fell to the ground. He could hear Shepard's footfalls move around him and come to the front of him. She threw her body forward to cover his back, and then moved back away. Kaidan moved with her, coming up onto his knees. Shepard put her hand on his cheek before leaping away sideways, Kaidan following her. He chased her around in a circle until she spun to face him. He grabbed her hand and moved in front of her, pulling her arm up and behind him. She moved with him, arching her back to match his bend.

He lost his balance, though, as she put too much of her weight behind her. It pulled his arm too far back, and he stumbled slightly. Shepard crashed into his back, jarring him forward. He winced, but he could feel her soften behind him, moving away from him in one graceful leap. He hoped that it looked as natural as she wanted it to, but he had no time to worry about it. Kaidan turned, seeing Shepard moving quickly away from him. He guessed that she was about to jump, and set off after her, leaping into the air just after she did. She turned gracefully once she reached the wall, and she glanced down at his hands before racing towards him. Kaidan put his hands in front of him, and she leaped into the air. He caught her and spun them around twice. Shepard clung around his body, her legs tucked to help him hold her. She straightened out as he turned them one more time before setting her down.

He thought they were done. A lift was a crazy thing to attempt in improv, and it would be a stunning move to end with, but the judges didn't call them off. Shepard moved away from him again, quickly lifting her leg and moving her foot in an odd fashion. Kaidan moved behind her and held onto her waist, unsure of what to do next. What could possibly be more impressive than a lift?

Shepard lifted her other leg and made the same movement with her foot. Kaidan realized she was circling the air with her toe, and wondered if she wanted to try and synchronize a turn. Shepard moved away from him and stood en pointe, and Kaidan followed her lead. She lifted a leg again, but only slightly, not enough to be a full lift. He took that to mean that the turn would be a pump turn, and not a pirouette. She glanced at him, and he nodded slightly. All of this happened in only a second.

Then, they were turning, almost in unison, Kaidan had started just a bit too early, and Shepard had hesitated a bit. But they fixed it after a turn or two. Shepard ended her turn first, and Kaidan went an extra one so he didn't stumble out of it. They lept and turned for a bit more, playing off of each other, but they didn't try any more lifts or synchronization. They simply tested each other until the judge thanked them.

"Nice job, partner." Shepard breathed, as she moved to the wall to get a drink.

"Not so bad yourself." Kaidan replied, "But next time, give me a warning before you go leaping into the air. You could have fallen."

Shepard only smiled. "I knew you would catch me."


End file.
